The local factory noticed that each of the following combinations of capital and labor produced the same level of output: (L=1, K=20) (L=2, K=15) (L=3, K=11) (L=4, K=8) (L=5, K=6) (L =6, K=5). This evidence suggests that:
Question 23 options:
capital and labor are perfect substitutes. |
|
the isoquant is convex. |
|
capital and labor are perfect complements. |
|
there are decreasing returns to scale. |
Solution:
With each of the given labor-capital combinations, notice that as labor increased by 1 unit, each time the amount of capital given up decreases:
Labor increase from 1 to 2: capital decrease from 20 to 15, so capital given up = 20 - 15 = 5 units
Labor increase from 2 to 3: capital decrease from 15 to 11, so capital given up = 15 - 11 = 4 units
And so on till last additional unit of labor, which results in 1 unit of capital given up (from 6 to 5). So, this production function undergoes diminishing marginal rate of technical substitution. Such diminishing rate gives the production curve or isoquant (production curve giving same output level for different labor-capital combinations) a convex (to the origin) shape.
Thus, the correct option is (B).
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